PROJECT SCHOOLS
Seven European secondary schools take part in the ERASMUS+ project VET4SCAPE:
* Business Academy Levice, Slovakia
* Obchodní akademie.České Budějovice, Czech republic
* Colegiul Economic „Delta Dunárii“ Tulcea, Romania
* Vocational school „Prof. D-r Assen Zlatarov“, Vidin, Bulgaria
* Bundeshandelsschule und Bundeshandelsakademie Linz, Austria
* Ekonomska šola Ljubljana, Slovenia
Vocational school „Prof. D-r Assen Zlatarov“, Vidin, Bulgaria
* Escola Secundária Cabrita, Barreiro, Portugal
BHAK Linz International Business School, Austria
In 2017 BHAK Linz International Business School celebrated its 135th anniversary. The school has been doing international projects for 13 years and is very experienced in this field. The teachers and students have carried out several international projects as coordinators in the programmes Comenius and Erasmus+, mainly about languages and economic aspects. The school is a higher vocational school (Business Academy) that trains students to work in banks, insurance companies, and for further studies at universities. The school has a five-year course leading to final exams, a three-year course for intermediate level, a 4-year course for sportsmen, as well as 2 types of 4-year courses at night school leading to final exams that qualify students to go on to university. 4 languages are taught at school (English, French, Russian, Spanish), 2 of which are compulsory for all students. Since November 2017 there is also Chinese taught by a member of the Chinese Institute of the University of Vienna.
The number of staff amounts to about 70, about 700 students both at day school and at night school. The group of teachers in the VET4SCAPE project will consist of 6 teachers from various subjects. Since 2006 our school has been actively doing etwinning projects as well as Comenius projects (AHEAD, BELL, EBV, CEECONOMY, CLYDE ) and finally ESCAPE in the Erasmus+ programme. Currently the school coordinates the Erasmus+ project VET4SCAPE. Most of these projects were conducted as coordinators which proves the organisational qualities of the teachers involved.
Teachers have also acquired solid language proficiency in the project language English, and basic skills in languages spoken in partner countries like the Czech Republic or Romania. Furthermore, our teachers were asked to act as lecturers on seminars to present their projects as best practice to other teachers. In 2016, our school was honoured by being allowed to stage the eTwinning Danube Region Seminar in which about 50 teachers from several Eastern European countries took part. In 2017 the project ESCAPE was awarded an eTwinning quality label and finished in third place in the Austrian eTwinning competition.
BUSINESS ACADEMY, LEVICE, SLOVAKIA
Business academy in Levice belongs among state trade secondary schools majoring in economics. Secondary economic school in Levice was established in 1967 and since then it has been preparing qualified cadres for all areas of our economy. Our school has always had to react flexibly to the changed economic situation and it has always tried to prepare its graduates to be successful at their workplaces. The considerable change has come in the special trade school system in Slovakia due to social process and the situation on the labour market since September 1990. The school transmuted , it changed its name to Business academy, the structure of professional orientation and school subjects. Now the school offers secondary education finished with a school-leaving examination. Graduates of this school can continue their studies at universities predominantly of economic or law objectives. Our students are prepared for the practise in the production enterpreses, for state and public administration, for private enterprises nad companies. Thank to versatileness they can work as accountants, economists, managers, secretaries, salesmen, private enterpreneurs, bankers.
Nowadays Business academy has 12 classes and four hundred students at the age of 15 – 19. The school is equipped with the modern computer technique, we have been involved in several Internet projects. Business academy has some special classrooms for teaching economic subjects, two special classrooms for teaching economic exercises, accounting and other economic subjects. Three special classrooms, equipped with electronic typewriters, are used for teaching technics of paperwork and economic correspondence. Pedagogical staff is fully qualified and has 30 teachers who teach both general and economic subjects. The school offers accomodation of students in the boarding house and boarding in the school canteen.
Business school sets the priority to prepare its students for life, it has the ambition to educate young people who will be able to carry on economic work linked with gaining and processing information in the area of production, supplying, sales, marketing, management, human resources management. The graduate student should conduct independently paperwork, bookkeeping, master work with computers. He should be an independent, enterprising, deliberate, and economically thinking person. During four years of the study at Business academy the student undergoes these subjects: corporate economics, bookkeeping, economic geography, technics of paperwork and correspondence, statistics, national economics, science of commodities, law study, economic exercises, mathematics, social communication, and facultative subjects – banking, management, marketing, economic week, applied economy. Students of the third and fourth forms take part in biweekly practice in some state, private enterprises, banks, or tax offices in our region. This practice allows students to use their theoretical knowledge directly in practice.
OBCHODNÍ AKADEMIE, ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE, CZECH REPUBLIC
Business Academy in České Budějovice was established in 1918. It is a school specialized in economics and finishing with a graduation exam. There are 277 students, 28 teachers and 3 people working in administrative. The school has two specialisations – Business Academy and Economic Lyceum. Study lasts for 4 years, students are from the age of 16 to 19. Subjects are divided into general subjects (Czech Language and Literature, Foreign Languages, History, Social Science, Maths, Geography), and special subjects (Economics, Accounting, Computer Accounting, Electronic Communication, Information Technology, Law). In the 3rd grade students have a three/four-week vocational training in banks, local companies, accounting firms, non-profit organisations etc. to improve their skills and knowledge. Students study English language as a compulsory language, they choose a second foreign language – German, French or Russian. We focus on practical usage of language using two language laboratories equipped with computers. Students have their European Language Portfolio. IT is a very important subject at our school, as students use it also for accounting. Students of 3rd grade have an opportunity to join the student company of Junior Achievement, where they can gain entrepreneurial skills and improve economic knowledge.
Teachers and students have been involved in many local projects improving teachers´ teaching methods and students´ motivation. The school has cooperated with social partners as South Bohemian Chamber of Commerce, language schools and financial company Essox. The school has joined many activities and projects at world, EU and local level: Leonardo da Vinci – mobility project (2012, 2013), with a Slovak partner from Detva – “The development and consolidation of professional and language competencies within the office and administrative occupations”, “Experience from foreign vocational training as a means of developing professional and key competencies of pupils” eTwinning projects – Career in EU, Fit for EU, Change the world: make it better (European quality label) – students cooperate with other EU countries on different topics EDISON – a multicultural AIESEC project with college students from all over the world, who come to our school to introduce their countries and cultures. Best in English/Deutsch – international language competitions.
EKONOMSKA ŠOLA, LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
School of Economics Ljubljana is a school with long a tradition in teaching economic subjects. It was established in 1920 and since 1998, we have had two educational programs: Economic Technician and Economic grammar school. Our goal is to educate successful and motivated adults and prepare them for further education or employment. School´s motto is: ambitious, enjoyable and proud - Prešernova!
516 students attend our school, 332 of those attend Economic Technician program, which enables them to find a job in over 150 different professions. The development priority of our school is to pursue the following competences: digital competence, critical thinking in mother tongue and foreign language, self-initiative and entrepreneurship. Because the latter is one of the key competences in EU Perspective 2014-2020, we also put special emphasis on developing entrepreneurial mindset and managerial skills. We are aware that good educational system and (vocational) training provide skills, demanded by the labour market and the economy. We follow Europe's 2020 growth strategy, which among others things focuses on performance of education by reducing drop-out rates and facilitating the entry of young people to the labour market.
The teachers are all highly motivated and regularly attend seminars about new teaching methods and other developments in education. We also try to promote good learning and working habits. Our Foreign Languages Department has seven teachers for English, German, Spanish and Italian language.
The main objectives are: improving students' school performance and Matura results; reducing the drop-out rate; using efficient and interesting teaching methods, all with the primary goal of preparing our students for further/higher education or employment. By doing all these things, we also hope to increase school enrolment rate.
Finally, we find it extremely important to participate in international projects. The competences gained by being a part of international learning mobilities help students improve fluency in foreign languages, learn about other working methods, raise cultural awareness, improve autonomy, boost self-esteem, learn how to be a team-player and how to become more ambitious. We believe that all these qualities undoubtedly lead to higher employability.
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL “PROF. D-R ASSEN ZLATAROV”,VIDIN, BULGARIA
Vocational School "Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov "- Vidin was founded in 1963 as a Rubber and Plastics Technical School, with the main goal of preparing chemical cadres for the North-West of Bulgaria. In 1985, at the suggestion of the pedagogical council, the Industrial Chemistry School took the name of the famous Bulgarian chemist, scientist and public figure Professor Asen Zlatarov.
On 16th February 1985 on the 100th anniversary of the professor's birth in the presence of his son, the school took its patron. In line with the emerging trends in the development of the regional economy in 1994, the school was transformed from the Industrial School of Chemistry into the Chemical Technology and Economics Technique with new professions such as Accounting, Banking, Insurance and Insurance, Business Administration. The formation of the new look of the school began.
Since 2001, the school has joined the Junior Achievement Foundation's entrepreneurial training programs. The first student company was "Ico Trade". Since 2002 student companies became two - "Sha Noire" - students of 12th grade "Accounting" and students of 12th grade "Electronics". In addition to a school buffet, a bookstore was also opened. The new One Day Manager initiative was held in 2002 and two teams joined the computer simulation competition.
The accession of Bulgaria to the European Union requires the development of new skills for the preparation of quality projects and their successful management and implementation. This is a major approach to securing funding for a number of activities. In 2002, our first project "Information provision for the development of rural tourism" was approved for financing under the Leonardo da Vinci Program of the EU. Since then, each year, various projects have been carried out alongside with students’ practices in the countries of the European Union.
COLEGIUL ECONOMIC ,,DELTA DUNĂRII” TULCEA, ROMANIA
Colegiul Economic “Delta Dunarii” Tulcea, Romania, is a state high school that prepares 784 students in the fields of economics, tourism, culinary arts and hospitality, level III and IV qualifications. Our students age between 15 and 19. When they graduate high school they pass the national exam Baccalaureate, and they get a certificate for the professional skills and knowledge they have acquired in their field of study during the high school. The first foreign language is English, the second foreign language is French and, optional, our students can choose Russian. 701 students specialize as administrative technicians, technicians in economic activities, tourism technicians, gastronomy technicians and trade technicians.
At the end of the high school they receive level IV qualification. Colegiul Economic also provides vocational training classes for the students that specialize as cooks, waiters and waitresses. At the moment we have a class in the 9th grade that specialize cooks and waiters and the students in the 10th and 11th grades specialize as waiters. After 3 years of vocational training they receive level III qualification. The high school has 51 teachers, 2 members in the management staff, 7 persons in the auxiliary teaching staff, vocational training instructors and children supervisors. The classes are done in laboratories with internet connection, for each school subject, and the vocational training practice is done in our school restaurant “Phoebus”, our school canteen, the hotels and the restaurants of the economic agents in the town of Tulcea, or at school in the training firms. We have 5 school’s training workshops and also we can accommodate 240 students in our 2 school boarding houses – one of them is a hostel.
So far our school has been rated as the third in the county and the first amongst the technological schools thanks to the qualitative education and training opportunities we provide to the students of the community. Our high school has developed students' professional skills and knowledge by involving them in national and international cooperation projects: Comenius, Leonardo da Vinci, eTwinning cooperation, Junior Achievement Romania. Diversifying and improving students’ professional skills and knowledge at European standards is our priority in our School Action Plan. Allowing students to meet peers from other countries, sharing work experience and knowledge on line and in practice is what facilitates their insertion in the European labour market, broadens their horizons and opens new ones concerning culture and language diversity, school and professional experience. All the students get included into the European value and work system and improve their foreign language skills.
Our school’s activity is very much supported by the fact that we live in a heavily touristed region. Our town is crossed by the Danube River and many tourists visit the natural reserve of the “Danube Delta”, a unique area, so our town and the Tulcea county becomes an opportunity for work and culture experience especially that in our region one can learn about many customs, traditions and cultural diversity .
ESCOLA SECUNDÁRIA AUGUSTO CABRITA, BARREIRO, PORTUGAL
Agrupamento de Escolas Augusto Cabrita is a regular and vocational group of schools owned by Ministry of Education and it is situated in Barreiro town at opposite side of Lisbon in the left margin of Tagus river. ESAC-hight school has annually about 1000 students and 100 teachers and it offers education in scientific, humanities and vocational courses like informatics, management, marketing and design, events and technologic courses in physical education.
Agroupment of schools is a group of 6 schools from the kindergarden to the high school and all together there are about 2100 students and almost 200 teachers. Usually teachers involve students from this high school ages between 15 to 18 years old. Our school like our society is a melting pot with students from different countries and cultures. Some of them are trying to do a vocational course to start working or continue studies. The school is one in the municipality that accepts students with problems of mobility and some with cognitive problems. The support of these students is to develop their skills, preparing them to the work market. ESAC school has some experience about national and international project work and it has run some international projects successfully. The students come from a low social family context (often with economic problems due to unemployment) and they are not always motivated to study. They would like to work but often they have lack of motivation in learning. They are therefore at risk of social exclusion and go out of education system.
The teachers try to discover new strategies to make vocational education attractive for all. We have contacts with companies where we send them for training in the end of the course. This project is important to open minds and contact with other cultures, learning to be more tolerant with others, to motivate them for study. The school has teachers that are good at applying tecnhologies to the classes in any subject using ICT, they can use magic modern boards for some classes. The school has experts in ICT and electronics, for example that are pioneers and some specific areas. The students have good skills in English and ICT in general.
